March in Highland Park calls for release of hostages in Israel and Hamas war

Angelica Sanchez
·2 min read
15

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — Chicago’s Jewish community gathered Sunday in Highland Park to mark six months since the start of the Israel and Hamas war.

Those gathered called for the estimated 120 hostages left in Gaza to be released.

Biden presses Netanyahu toward cease-fire deal, warns of change in US policy

Reports over the weekend said the Israeli military discovered the body of a farmer who had been taken hostage in October. He was most likely killed in January.

“For the families of the captives, today is another 24 hours of anguish, grief, despair and anxiety,” State Sen. Julie Morrison said. “We’re not sure what conditions these men and women are held in.”

The conflict began on Oct. 7 when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking close to 250 people hostage.

“For 184 days, we’ve had one cry. Bring the hostages home,” Rep. Brad Schneider said. “For 184 days, we’ve had one demand. Release the hostages.”

In Gaza, the Associated Press reports the toll of this war can be measured in tens of thousands of deaths and more than a million Palestinians displaced.

Several Palestinian rallies in Chicago in the last six months have been calling for a ceasefire.

“It should be protocols, should be rules of engagement that somebody has to be making sure that they happen in a war zone,” Chef Jose Anders said in an interview with ABC News. “There’s way too many cases now of humanitarians dying, many civilians, women, children that the only thing they did was trying to get close by to somewhere that they were giving them flour or bread.”

Andres is speaking out on the anniversary of the war after an Israeli airstrike killed seven humanitarian workers with his aid group, World Central Kitchen.

“This really, at this point, seem it’s a war against humanity itself,” Andres said.

While it was a mostly peaceful gathering, WGN News did hear someone yell at the gathering and then watched police escort someone away.

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